Middle East

Abu Dhabi, Jun 17: The UAE Ramadan Moon Sighting Committee has announced that Ramadan in the UAE for the Hijri year 1436 will begin on Thursday, June 18. Following the committee’s meeting at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, investigation, application of relevant Sharia laws, and contacts with neighbouring countries, Justice Minister Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi said in a statement that Wednesday

Riyadh, Jun 15: The Supreme Court on Sunday called on Muslims across the Kingdom to look for the Ramadan crescent on Tuesday, as it will decide the first day of the fasting month. Anyone who sights the crescent with the naked eye should register the testimony with the nearest court or report it to a competent authority, the court said. The fasting month is most likely to begin Wednesday. However

Dhahran, Jun 14: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) has been ranked first among the region’s Top 100 universities, according to QS World University Rankings 2015. According to the report, the American University of Beirut (Lebanon), King Saud University (Riyadh) and King Abdul Aziz University (Jeddah) followed respectively. Despite its name, KFUPM offers courses in a wide array

Jeddah, Jun 9: Despite increased spending on education and training, the private sector was unable to provide sufficient jobs to absorb skilled national employees with high levels of education. An official report from the Ministry of Planning and Economy cited two main reasons for the private sector’s failure in solving the unemployment problem. First are the limited opportunities for females in

Riyadh, Jun 5: The government of India has not suspended sending its workers to the Kingdom and the manpower supply system is very much intact. A report published by a local media outlet, and subsequently carried by a section of international media, said that India had suspended sending workers to the Kingdom, citing a recent directive from the Saudi Ministry of Labor that stipulated that 25

Riyadh, Jun 4: A major Saudi-Czech business meeting has been canceled by the Kingdom because of anti-Islam statements made by a Czech official targeting Islamic countries, Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, president of the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC), confirmed on Wednesday. Al-Zamil, who also heads the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said: “I have seen the reports and I can confirm the

Jeddah, Jun 3: The Jeddah Municipality, university branch, inspected the Binladin date market in the university district and closed 13 shops and confiscated two tons of contaminated stock. The move is in view of the fast approaching Holy Month of Ramadan and the rise in demand for dates, leading to violation of health safety regulations. Hassan Ghoneim, director of the municipality’s university

Dubai, Jun 1: A 41-year-old Indian national has been sentenced to one year in jail after which he will be deported from the UAE for posting a 'blasphemous' status on a social networking site. The Dubai court of first instance convicted him of blasphemy for a Facebook status he posted last July after reading a news bulletin about the Iraq war, according to a media report. he accused, who was not

Riyadh, May 31: The US on Saturday joined Gulf and Arab countries in denouncing the terror attack in Dammam, saying that it was committed to working with the Kingdom to fight extremism. “We deplore the brutality of the terrorists who perpetuated this violence at places of worship,” said US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke, in response to Friday’s attack at the Al-Anoud Mosque in Dammam

Riyadh, May 30: In widespread condemnation across Saudi society, prominent citizens reacted strongly on Friday to yet another terror attack in which a suicide bomber blew himself up near a mosque in Damman leaving four people dead. Governments and top officials from different countries have expressed their deep sorrow at the fresh suicide bombing that came exactly a week after a bomber killed 21